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How exposed to AI is a Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Product?

Of the 19 tasks O*NET lists for purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products, 3 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 8 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
BuyerContract Administrator (Contract Admin)Procurement and Contracting Administrator (Procurement and Contracting Admin)Procurement and Contracting BuyerProcurement OfficialProcurement SpecialistPurchasing Administrator (Purchasing Admin)Purchasing AgentPurchasing and Contracts Coordinator
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
19
tasks rated for this occupation
75%
hold a degree, from a survey of 20
44 of 48
least protected in business and finance

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

3
  • Monitor and follow applicable laws and regulations
  • Formulate policies and procedures for bid proposals and procurement of goods and services
  • Maintain and review computerized or manual records of purchased items, costs, deliveries, product performance, and inventories

Only with software built on top

8
  • Negotiate, renegotiate, and administer contracts with suppliers, vendors, and other representatives
  • Analyze price proposals, financial reports, and other data and information to determine reasonable prices
  • Research and evaluate suppliers, based on price, quality, selection, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, and the supplier's reputation and history
  • Monitor shipments to ensure that goods come in on time, and resolve problems related to undelivered goods
  • Study sales records and inventory levels of current stock to develop strategic purchasing programs that facilitate employee access to supplies
  • Write and review product specifications, maintaining a working technical knowledge of the goods or services to be purchased
  • Monitor changes affecting supply and demand, tracking market conditions, price trends, or futures markets
  • Arrange the payment of duty and freight charges

Cannot be sped up

8
  • Prepare purchase orders, solicit bid proposals, and review requisitions for goods and services
  • Purchase the highest quality merchandise at the lowest possible price and in correct amounts
  • Hire, train, or supervise purchasing clerks, buyers, and expediters
  • Confer with staff, users, and vendors to discuss defective or unacceptable goods or services and determine corrective action
  • Evaluate and monitor contract performance to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and to determine need for changes
  • Review catalogs, industry periodicals, directories, trade journals, and Internet sites and consult with other department personnel to locate necessary goods and services
  • Interview vendors and visit suppliers' plants and distribution centers to examine and learn about products, services, and prices
  • Attend meetings, trade shows, conferences, conventions, and seminars to network with people in other purchasing departments
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.